Queens Drive regeneration project underpinned by Quelfire’s passive fire protection

The £36 million initiative has been designed to reflect Swindon’s  railway heritage. The houses boast solar panels, triple-glazed windows, dozens of bird boxes and trees planted to encourage wildlife growth.

Local Authority Building Control has recognised Queens Drive in the National Building Excellence Awards as the best large social housing development.

As the chosen passive fire protection system manufacturer, Quelfire worked alongside Willmott Dixon and Fire Shield to deliver this project. The main objective was to design and build the homes around the tested details available, thereby creating a safe community for residents.

Main challenge

The main challenge was using service penetration types that had limited industry-wide testing, such as electrical socket boxes in conjunction with the innovative Beadmaster product.

The key to smooth completion was the involvement of the Willmott Dixon design team, whose members proactively designed and planned the build, in turn ensuring service penetration sealing was a priority.

Acknowledging that early engagement has been crucial in past projects, Willmott Dixon and Fire Shield initiated this approach right from the early stages. This ensured that Quelfire addressed any service penetration sealing concerns during the design procedure, guaranteeing that relevant and tested solutions were identified and any grey areas avoided.

Due to the time Quelfire gained from the early collaboration, in the case of no tested solutions for electrical socket boxes with Beadmaster, the company was able to add this to its testing programme upon request from Willmott Dixon.

The scenario-specific testing allowed Quelfire to provide primary test evidence as opposed to an engineered judgement.

Collaboration and communication

Queens Drive is proof of the success that collaboration and communication between all stakeholders can bring. Through Quelfire’s early engagement and shared commitment to the project, it was possible to reach a robust and compliant design, resulting in minimal issues and rework during the build stage and, ultimately, no extra costs.

The approach of those involved in the project not only streamlined its progress, but also demonstrated adherence to industry regulations, making each party a vital part of this success story.

Robert England, senior project manager at Fire Shield, said: “Quelfire has been an ally to Fire Shield for many years now, and specifically myself, regarding the enormous support we receive. We appreciate the ongoing support from the training, CPD and videos Quelfire offers to ensure we can find suitable answers from project to project. Queens Drive is a perfect example of this.”